Bunbury, Busselton and Margaret River TAFE are offering new certificates to help small business owners develop their business management skills. The courses, which earn participants a formal qualification in Business Management, include developing your own business plan and working one on one with a business advisor. They also cover:

Business planning and organisation

Marketing and customer service

Operations and human resources

Business structure and legal requirements

Finance

There are three upcoming information sessions on these courses:

Wednesday Feb 6 | 5.30-6.30pm | Bunbury TAFE

Thursday Feb 7 | 5.30-6.30pm | Margaret River TAFE

Friday Feb 8 | 5.30-6.30pm | Busselton TAFE

For more information, check out the downloadable documents at the links below.

Sandy and Graham have been running G&S Atkins Contracting for over 37 years, and had grown to a successful business - but something was niggling at Graham as to whether they were complying in all areas of their business.

Sandy came to Business Advisor Julie Broad for a business health check.

After their first meeting, Julie was able to identify some gaps, and very quickly identified the next steps to implement. In conjunction with Julie’s advice, Sandy enrolled in a Safety Training Course at Murray House Resource Centre in Pinjarra, which enhanced the steps identified in their Business Advisory session.​“Having returned recently to the workplace of G&S Atkins Contracting, it was such a pleasure to witness the policies in place with an easy flow of procedures that were clear to all staff,” Julie said.

They all came to the Margaret River Morning Biz Q&A session! Thanks to Noa Ercoreca, Michelle Troop, Elisa Derossi, and Michelle and Brendon Munnich for being part of the session.

Lots of conversation flowed around promotions, the positives and not so positives of diversification, and Amazon being used as a case study for success.

You too can be a part of this for 2019!

The Morning Biz Q&A sessions have been a big hit over the summer months at Busselton and Margaret River. Small business owners are encouraged to bring a question and put it to business Advisor Sana Turnock to answer.

Seeds of Collaboration: A Morning Biz session at Margaret River

“So far, I have been able to answer all the questions put forward to me, but I have always said that if I am not able to do so, I will do the research and get back to the person who asked the question,” Sana said.

"What I thoroughly enjoy is hearing everyone’s input.”

Sana has noticed a quiet flourishing start to take place in these environments. Business owners who may be new to the business arena, or who are shy at contributing, are opening up.

‘’I love seeing the seeds of collaboration start to take place in these spaces,” Sana said.

“You never know who will attend and what kind of mix the table will have. People walk away with new ideas to ponder, potential collaborations, marketing strategies to work on, as well as feeling motivated by knowing that they aren’t the only one doing it on their own.’’

Photographer Michelle Troop, who attended one of the Margaret River sessions, sums it up beautifully.

“The free-flowing conversations are where the gems are. These Q&A Morning Biz sessions are where people feel safe enough to express ideas and listen to others,” she said.

Business Advisory South West & Peel, City of Busselton and Margaret River Busselton Tourism Association collaborated this month in a wonderful initiative called Getting Cruise Ship Ready.

Local retailers and tourism operators were invited to the evening event, where they were presented with background information on the cruise ships, the positive potential economic impact their presence has to local business in the Busselton CBD, and business tips on creating a positive customer experience.

‘’Sometimes all that is required is tweaking," Business Advisor Sana Turnock said.

“Make people feel welcome, offer try-before-you-buy for local produce, offer a free tasting of a signature dish or bring locally made product front of shop. One of the things passengers have commented on is how much they love the local landscape. This is the ideal opportunity for books, photography and cards to be showcased.”

Take away tips from the evening:

Passengers, crew, volunteers and family members who greet their loved ones on the port are all potential customers for retailers.

95% of both the first time and repeat visitor want to come back to Busselton again. Leave a good lasting impression and they just might! Remember they will tell family and friends too.

Local retailers and tourism operators attending the evening event

The cruise ships don’t have to dock in Busselton, but they do. Local businesses are encouraged to make the most of the opportunity.

A lot was covered on the evening and because of this, a repeat presentation may take place again in 2019. Watch this space!

Business Advisory South West and Peel collaborated with the Margaret River Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MRCCI) at the Margaret River Business Economy Forum held at Margaret River TAFE this month.

Business Advisor Sana Turnock presented on ‘Resilience for Small Business in the South West’ on the night, and business coach Graham Harvey presented on customer experience.

More than 60 local business owners, Federal Member for Forrest Nola Marino, counsellors and the acting CEO of the Shire of August-Margaret River attended the event.

It was a lively, robust and harmonious gathering, setting a goal to action many of the ideas generated on the night.

​Some takeaways from the night included:

Business Advisor Sana Turnock talks to attendees

You will always have immovable mountains like Amazon and other mega online platforms in your way that may threaten your business. Do you climb the mountain, walk around the mountain, or go through the mountain? (Read more about this)

Review your financials regularly - and BEFORE a crisis point

Update your business skills by partaking in education on a regular basis

Collaborate, Collaborate, Collaborate

Review your customer base - is there a way for you to penetrate other markets?

You will always have immovable mountains like Amazon and other mega online platforms in your way that threaten your business. Do you climb the mountain, walk around the mountain or go through the mountain?

Successful business owners in today’s world need to be strong, resilient, optimistic, and solutions-focussed. The big online giants are here to stay, and pose a very real threat to retail businesses who choose not to adapt to the digital marketplace.

Online, accessible e-commerce platforms can be your ally. Retailers do not necessarily need to use Amazon as their platform - but at least consider providing customers with an online shopping choice. An online option may gain a retailer a new target audience they were not able to reach before.

Climbing the mountain – plunging in and setting up your own system to compete with Amazon. This may make things more difficult, especially if you are ill-equipped due to a lack of financial or human resources.

The thing is though, you don’t have to start from scratch. If you are not able to set up your own system, you could join an already existing online platform (ebay and etsy are just two great spaces for retailers) and leverage off their name and branding, whilst getting your own brand out there. You are now moving through the mountain. Investigate, research, and make an informed decision based on your business needs.

In order to survive and thrive as a business owner you sometimes have to make some tough decisions. Is it possible to walk around the mountain and create your own path? This is a great way to gain experience and knowledge, but can be time consuming and resource draining. Weigh it up and make a decision on whether this is for you.​If you are unsure of which step to take, have a chat to one of our friendly, professional Business Advisory South West and Peel advisors. Call 1300 275 477 to book your free appointment.

The conference provided local businesses with the opportunity to hear from top-tier speakers including Magda Szubanski, Greg Boase, Stan Gallo, Lynda Hailey, and Dr Jared Cooney-Horvath. More than 200 people attended.

“It was an awe-inspiring event,” Julie said. “I left inspired, informed and supported in my role as a business advisor, that requires regular professional development.”

Magna Szubanski inspired listeners with her talk about making things happen, and generating energy from starting something.

“If you tell someone your idea and they don’t like it, you are telling the wrong person,” she said. “Build it until it comes.”​

Business Advisor Julie Broad was inspired by the Future Proof Peel Business Conference

Greg Boase of Boase and Associates talked about profitable relationships during the Industry Leaders Panel. He told the audience how 7 per cent of what we say is rapport, 38 per cent is our tone and 55 per cent is our body language. He stressed the importance of having testimonials across all platforms.A panel of four then spoke about the future of agriculture in the region, including Paula from Grubsup, Maree Gooch from Chris Wireless, John Mitchell from Livestock Transport and Adrian Parker from PDC.

Forensic Cyber Specialist Stan Gallo from KPMG spoke about cyber security, and the lack of awareness inside companies on the importance of reporting and dealing with breaches.“User education is a top priority and businesses are no longer safe ignoring this as part of their systems control,” he said.

He recommended `Cyber News’ as a great resource to learn what is going on in the space of Cyber Security.

Linda Hailey from ‘Your Business, Your Future’, shared her knowledge of being in small business today. She talked about the fact that most of us do not growing up saying we want to own a small business - we grow up saying we want to be a fireman or policeman or nurse or teacher. She advocated working on your business, not in it, with tools like a vision board and future org charts so that you know what you are aiming towards.

University of Melbourne Neuroscientist Dr Jared Cooney-Horvath was an exceptional speaker, who had the entire audience spell-bound with his presentation about retaining relationships by knowing what the other person wants.

He talked about our front lobe conductor being a coder which can be changed at any time.

“Stories drive your coder, and concepts drive perceptions,” he said. “Company stories lead to defining who you are. This becomes your values and who what you stand for. The only future proof skill is learning.”

Last but not least, Political Economist Dr Angus Hervey and Big Data Scientist Tane Hunter from FutureCrunch.com spoke about the future. They showed the world is getting better (despite what the media portrays). They help organisations navigate the future, and are your field guides for the next economy. Their mission is to foster intelligent, optimistic thinking about the future, and to empower people to contribute to it.​Future Proof Peel was great – we highly recommend attending the next event in 2020.

Business Advisory celebrated Indigenous Business Month in Margaret River on October 23 with a great business networking event held at Meeka House.

The event aimed to encourage local businesses to continue to engage and invest with Indigenous people and business. 50 people attended.

A Welcome to Country by Noongar Elder Wayne Webb kicked off the night. Zac Webb spoke to the gathered crowd about the history of the land, Aboriginal meanings, why places are named what they are, and the connection to the land, animals, food and spirits.

Wayne and Zac, who are members of the Undalup Association, were inspiring speakers with lots of local knowledge. People enjoyed learning about bush tucker and medicines, eating damper, bush jams, berries and kangaroo, and listening to stories about the history of the land.

A mini cinema was also set up for people to enjoy a snippet of Jennifer Gherardi’s documentaries on local stories.

Many thanks to Undalup, who provided the delicious food and displays, to Wayne Webb for the welcome to Country, Zac Webb for sharing the stories from our local Indigenous history, and to Jennifer for her documentaries and offering the use of Meeka House in Margaret River, a beautiful venue with a fitting story behind it.

Bunbury and Geographe tourism identities and businesses ventured out on Tuesday night this week for one intense hour of business to business speed networking.

Nobody was entirely sure what to expect from this brand new event – but it very quickly became clear that the night would be plenty of fun!

The crowd of participants split into seven groups, each of which visited one of the seven exhibitors to hear all about their business, ask questions and exchange details – all in six minutes, before moving onto the next stall.

The evening was a great success, with both exhibitors and their listeners expanding their networks, meeting new friends and identifying new opportunities.

Business Advisor Sana Turnock represented Business Advisory South West and Peel and the Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC) at the 2018 Margaret River Regional Business Awards on Wednesday 29th August.

As SBDC was unable to attend, Sana presented the Planning Award on their behalf. The winner of this category was Nudge Psychological Assessment & Consulting, with Chestnut Grae winning the Commendable award. The awards were represented by a number of small businesses across the region all vying for a number of prizes. There was surprise, tears (of joy and disbelief), technical glitches, swing dancing, cheekiness from the MC Nola Marino and lots of fun and good cheer. Congratulations to all finalists and winners!